CNN features “ATL24 - A Day in the Life of the World’s Busiest Airport”
By Scott Henry

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the subject of an ambitious feature package by more than three dozen reporters and photographers from CNN that was published on the news channel’s website at the end of November.

A collaborative partnership between Hartsfield-Jackson and CNN, “ATL24” showcases a 24-hour cycle at the world’s busiest airport through a series of articles, photographs and videos. The project was undertaken in anticipation of the holiday season when air travel is on the minds of millions across the world.

The interactive package — found at www.cnn.com/atl24) — is the product of scores of interviews with passengers, airport employees and airline personnel conducted by nearly 40 CNN journalists over a 24-hour period on August 28. The resulting package features human-interest stories about just-arrived refugees; a behind-the-scenes look at how U.S. Customs and Border Protection handles confiscated items; observations from first-time travelers; and dozens of little-known facts about the Atlanta Airport.

“Hartsfield-Jackson is one of Atlanta’s defining achievements,” said Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed. “Our Airport hosts 95.5 million passengers a year, earning its place as the world’s busiest and most efficient airport. Additionally, with a regional impact of $32.6 billion and 58,000 direct jobs, Hartsfield-Jackson is a vital economic engine for the City of Atlanta and the Southeast region.”

“This is one of the most stunning, immersive projects in the history of CNN Digital. The access to the people and places just out of sight helped to tell the story of a place that is both familiar and unknown, of Atlanta and of the world,” said Meredith Artley, vice president and managing editor of CNN Digital. “We are also seeing massive audience interest in #ATL24 - more than two million page views and growing, great social buzz and high engagement rates with over four minute averages for time spent exploring the many stories we captured in 24 hours.”

The next step, she says, is to form a steering committee composed of shareholders representatives who will establish a plan of action, a timeline, a training program for airport employees, and the methodology for determining how well the new ecodistrict is meeting its eco-goals